


Rose Tattoo

by madlysanecatlady



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Fluff, Gladnis, M/M, Tattoo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-15
Updated: 2018-03-15
Packaged: 2019-03-31 13:25:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,209
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13976049
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/madlysanecatlady/pseuds/madlysanecatlady
Summary: Ignis has a hip tattoo. Just how does Gladio know what it is?





	Rose Tattoo

The tonberrys had come out of nowhere. One moment they were walking back through the admittedly dark and sketchy tunnel towards the haven they had spotted on the map, and the next they were fending off a veritable army of tiny little green daemons with stabby little knives and a taste for murder. Ignis hadn’t even seen one of them coming, earning himself a knife to the side. Hissing in pain, he dealt swift retribution to the miniature daemon, but the damage had been done; he could feel the blood seeping out through his shirt. He certainly wasn’t looking forward to cleaning that injury out later at camp.

‘You good Iggy?’ Gladio fell into rhythm beside him, helping fend off a group of the nasty little creatures while Ignis regained his footing.

‘I’ll live,’ Ignis nodded, selecting his polearm to jab out at  a pair of lanterns hovering in the darkness, causing them to crash to the ground as the tonberrys disappeared into toxic smoke. Even with his assurance, Ignis noticed Gladio sticking closer to his side than normal, so much so that the massive man was beginning to become more of a hindrance than anything. He signed, staking a tonberry through the face with a dagger before turning to Gladio and quietly intoning a reprimand in his direction. ‘Gladio, I love you dearly, but if you don’t get out of my way, you will wind up on the sharp end of a weapon.’

‘Sorry,’ Gladio grinned apologetically and moved back towards their charge, making sure no other tonberry got in a lucky stab. Ignis smiled, never at a loss for why he had fallen in love with the big-hearted veritable garula of a man.

After what could only be described as a gruellingly long fight to rid the tunnel of tonberrys, they emerged on the other side, the faint glow of a haven beckoning them over as the daylight faded fast around them.

‘We need to get our damn car back,’ Prompto whined, stretching out his back before jogging to catch back up with the other three. ‘Everything _hurts_.’

‘A little walking’s good for you,’ Gladio rolled his eyes. ‘Suck it up, kid.’

‘This isn’t a little, it’s like, _all_ the walking,’ Prompto complained.

‘He’s not wrong,’ Noctis chimed in with a yawn. ‘Can’t wait to take a break.’

Gladio ignored the whinings behind him and focussed his attention on Ignis’ careful gait. ‘You good, Iggy? Do we need to stop or can you make it to the haven?’

‘I’m fine, Gladio,’ Ignis smirked. ‘It’s a mere graze over the hip. There’s more damage to the shirt than mem which I am admittedly upset about.’

‘I’ve seen you work magic with a sewing needle. You’ll do it again,’ Gladio snorted.

‘What happened, Specs?’ Noctis finally noticed the small bloom of blood at Ignis’ side that had started to blend in with the dark purple of his shirt as it dried.

‘Merely a flesh wound from one of those foul little things,’ Ignis waved away his charge’s concerns. ‘I’ll be fine once I clean it out.’

Noctis accepted that without question, yawning again as they reached the haven. ‘Man, I could just collapse right here.’

‘You can remain awake long enough to eat,’ Ignis reprimanded sternly.

‘But first let’s get you patched up, ok?’ Gladio was already pulling out the first aid kit. He eyed Ignis sternly until Ignis acquiesced, pulling off his shirt with a sigh.

‘Is this why you all complain so much about _my_ so-called nagging?’ Ignis rolled his eyes. Accepting the topical antiseptic from Gladio and pushing his belted trousers down slightly to have better access to the shallow wound on his hip.

‘Hey wait a minute,’ Noctis grabbed Ignis’ wrist to pull his hand out of the way so he could better see the pale flesh Ignis rarely ever had on display. What caught his attention, small wisps of black peeking out from under the dark denim, giving no hints as to what it was, but unmistakable as the top of a tattoo. ‘Is that _ink_? Specs, you have a tattoo?’

‘Not only that, but a hip tattoo? Igs, what the hell?’ Prompto looked completely shell-shocked. ‘Did it hurt?’

Ignis rolled his eyes and ignored the question, opting to clean out the cut instead, handing the antiseptic back to Gladio and accepting a bandage instead.

‘C’mon Specs, you gotta admit it’s surprising,’ Noctis was undeterred by his advisor’s stony silence. ‘ _You_ , of all people, having a tattoo.’ He paused, trying to get a better look at the inky wisps. ‘So what is it? A spatula?’

‘It is, precisely, none of your business,’ Ignis huffed, turning towards the camp stove.

‘Aww, c’mon Ignis,’ Prompto whined. ‘What is it? Obviously we’re not gonna make you show us, but you can tell us, right? _Please?_ ’

‘Gods, it’s a flower with thorns, ok? Will you leave him alone now?’ Gladio rolled his eyes. ‘I’m _starving_ , so let Iggy get to cooking.’

‘Wait a minute, how do _you_ know? It’s in a bit of an… intimate place, isn’t it?’ Prompto stared at Gladio, even more surprised, as if that were even possible. ‘You see Ignis often with no pants on or something?’

‘Uhh,’ Gladio was unsure how to answer that. He and Ignis had never really decided to _not_ tell the others about their relationship, but he really hadn’t planned on having to answer to it like this.

‘Well, as it just so happens…’ Ignis’ eyes sparkled mischievously as he readied the fish Noctis had caught earlier for frying. He smirked at Prompto’s incredulous look. ‘Why yes, Prompto, I do indeed know how to have a good time every so often, you needn’t look so shocked.’

‘Wait, _what_?’ Prompto spluttered as Gladio fetched a new shirt for Ignis and held it out for him to put his arms through.

‘He’s saying they bang, Prom,’ Noctis yawned widely, hardly looking surprised. ‘On the regular, even.’

‘You don’t look shocked,’ Prompto commented, sinking into his chair to wait for dinner while Gladio got to work on the tent.

‘I’m not an idiot, dude,’ Noctis rolled his eyes, sinking into his own chair and pulling out his phone. ‘They give in _way_ too easily when we suggest getting two rooms at the hotels for all the whining they do about the money we spend. And I’m not naïve enough to think it’s just because they want room to stretch out. Plus, Gladio’s way more protective of Ignis than anyone else. I’m pretty sure he’s in pretty deep.’

‘Well, at least all my efforts in getting you to pay more attention to your surroundings have paid off,’ Ignis smiled, handing dinner over to the two boys before heading over to Gladio, who was finishing off the tent. He reached out and ran a hand down his back before snaking his arm around Gladio’s waist. ‘Coming to eat?’

Gladio pressed a kiss to Ignis’ temple. ‘You bet.’ He followed Ignis over to the fire and sat down, accepting his dinner with a smile. ‘Thanks, Iggy.’

‘Well, without you stepping in, it might have been delayed a bit longer,’ Ignis chuckled.

‘They’re just jealous they don’t get to see it. It’s a really nice tattoo.’


End file.
